Meet the Goats

We keep three breeds of goat at The Lint Mill but only two of the breeds are milked to make our soap. The Bagots are a very rare breed that we keep to contribute to its survival. The prefix (family breeding name) for the goats we breed is Medwyn (after the river that boundaries our land).

Golden Guernsey (Top Row)

Golden Guernsey goats are smaller than most of the British dairy breeds. They are fine boned, and are generally quiet and docile. In many respects they are ideal ‘household’ goats. They have a good milk yield related to their size, and produce plenty of milk for our own use (although not for the B&B as we are not allowed to serve unpasteurised milk in Scotland). The milk is high in fat and protein which makes it great for soap making.

Lisean Strega (top left and middle of top row) is one of the first goats we bought.  She is an extremely good natured goat. She stands quietly on the milking stand to be milked which makes her the star of our smallholding courses and she loves a cuddle. She also likes to nibble Colin’s chin! Strega is undoubtedly the matriarch of our entire herd. Medwyn Astrid (top right) is a very attractive goat with a beautiful amber coat. She is the first female Golden Guernsey we bred at The Lint Mill.

This year Strega had two beautiful male kids Medwyn Cecil and Medwyn Cedric by Muircock Donald who we borrowed as a stud billy last year. They have both been sold to breeding homes so we are delighted Stega’s line continues. Astrid had a single female kid Medwyn Clementine and she will join our breeding herd.

Bagot (Middle Row)

This ancient native breed is known to have existed continuously in the UK since the 1380’s. The name is derived from the Bagot family, of Blithfield Hall, Staffordshire, who owned the earliest known herd which roamed wild in Bagot’s Park. The Bagot is a small, horned goat, with long hair and a striking colour pattern. We started with 3 girls; Palacerigg Blanche, Palacerigg Beatrice and Palacerigg Blossom. They have quite a nervous character, especially with people they don’t know but Blossom is cheeky, feisty and friendly. We bred Medwyn Connie two years ago, and this year added Medwyn Daisy and Medwyn Daphne to the breeding girls as well as 4 wethered (castrated) boys, Dennis, Denzel, Desmond and Dorian.

British Alpine (Bottom Row)

This BA goats are black with white ‘Swiss’ markings and have been developed in the UK. The British Goat Society describes them as ” highly individual in character and tends to be a breed for enthusiasts who like a challenge”. So we might have known they’d be quite a handful! We bought them as a traditional dairy breed to give us more milk for our cheese making plans.

Carrick Charlize aka Liesl (middle bottom row and front left in image on the right of the bottom row) is the eldest and she is boisterous, lively and always the first head over the stable door in the mornings. Next is Carrick Carly aka Gretl (bottom left with Ada and middle in image on the right of the bottom row) who is a sweet goat. She was a bottle-fed orphan when we bought her, so she is super friendly because she’s been so well handled. Lastly is wee Medwyn Ada, Gretel’s daughter, bred by us sired by Carrick Broony. Ada is mischievous and a little bit naughty!

Postscript

It turns out Carrick Charlize aka Liesl is more boisterous than we thought because she managed to have a secret liaison with Muircock Donald and two weeks ago, she gave birth to two gorgeously marked female kids who are British Alpine crossed with a Golden Guernsey. We have called them Ivy and Flora and we have fallen in love with them both!

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